Wire fence



(No Model.)

M. P. MGNELLY.

WIRE FENCE.

No. 545,970. Patented Sept. 10, 1895.

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MATIIIAS F. MONELLY, OF STERLING, ILLINOIS.

WIRE FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,970, dated September 10, 1895.

Application filed August 2'7, 1894- $erial No. 521,381. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MATHIAS F. MCNELLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sterling, in the county of Whiteside and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire Fences; and 1 do declare the following to be a full, clear, and ex: act description of said invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to manufacture the same.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of wire fences in which three or more main wires or strands, stretched horizontally, are mutually connected at suitable intervals by wire stays or braces attached to said horizontal wires, usually termed runners, in a vertical position. The function of the vertical stays is to connect the several runners so as to constitute one unitary structure and augment the resisting force of each single runner by its lateral connection to the companion runners. A difficulty invariably encountered in this method of construction is the retention of the aforesaid vertical stays at their proper respective localities by reason of the vibration, casual or otherwise of said runners, the effect being to work the stays toward the posts.

In fences of this character it is desirable that the middle or intermediate portion of the stay be secured loosely to the runners, so that it may have more or less lateral play or movement upon the runners and yet will return to its original position after the force that moves it has been removed. It is also desirable to have the stay so constructed that it may be readily secured to or detached from the runners of the fence. To secure these results without the foregoing disadvantages it is necessary that the ends of the stay be secured rigidly and detachably to the runners and the intermediate portion be left free to move laterally upon the runner and also to be detachably secured thereto.

The preferable method of construction is the attachment of the vertical stays after the runners are in position and stretched taut on the supporting-posts. This can be accomplished only by hand, and in order that rea sonable progress may be made in this work the amount of manipulation and labor attending the seating of each stay must be reduced to the minimum. This, together with the provision against the subsequent move ment of the ends of said stays, is the purpose of my invention, and I accomplish that result by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of fence constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section at the locality of one of the stays.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in each view.

A A are the usual horizontal runners, supported at suitable intervals by the ordinary posts. The upper and lower runners are each provided with a series of eyelets l3 rigidly seated thereon at the localities where it is intended to attach the stays.

O O are the vertical stays, which consist of an end wire D at each end of the stay, said end wire being formed into a loop E at each end thereof. Intermediate the looped wires D and connected therewith are the looped wires F, which are similar to the wires D, except that the central portion of the wires F are formed into an open eye G, consisting of a substantial elongated or oblong coil made with the body of the wire F, the portions of said wire which pass each other being removed from mutual contact about the thickness of the runner A for the purpose of attaching or removing the stays from the runners without destroying or changing, either the stay or the runners. This formation is shown more specifically in the drawings and has the advantage of permitting the seating of the wires F on the interior runners A, be they one or more, by simply turning the wire F diagonally across said interior runner A and passing the ends of it under or over the runner, according whether the looped wire is being applied to the runner from above or below. One wire F is prepared for each interior runner A and the eyes G are so spaced as to be in the line of the runners A, respectively, when the latter are in place on the fence, whereby each of the runners A is held and braced by the eye G of the wire F. From the formation of the eye G the runner A cannot escape therefrom until the wire F is thrown up into nearly a horizontal position, which it cannot assume so long as its ends are held by the wires 1), and

by making the loops of a greater Length than the diameter of the runner, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the central portion of the stay may be moved to a considerable distance from the vertical without causing the ends of the loop to engage or bind upon the runner, as must necessarily occur when the loop is of substantially the same size as the runner. It also gives sufficient play to enable the stays to be put on or removed from the runners more easily. It is obvious that as many wires F can be employed in each stay as there shall be numbers of runners A. All of the loops in the entire stay 0 can be closed against casual uni'astening when the stay is being manufactured, and only the end loops E of the end wires D be left sufficiently open to permit the passage within said loops of the eyelets B on the upper and lower runners A, respectively, when with an ordinary hand pinchers the loops E can be closed; but if the stay 0 is of the proper length so that the runner A has to be sprungin order to hook on the stay the latter will remain hooked into the eyelets B without any danger of disconnection.

The advantages of my invention are that the runners A can be provided with the eyelets B by machinery, and after being placed in position on the posts the stay 0, likewise furnished ready for application, can be seated thereon with great rapidity and little labor. Again, the complete structure is in accord with the general idea of proper fences, consisting of horizontal runners and vertical crossstays. All of the'parts can be made of such size as may be desired, the number of runners and the frequency of the stays being governed by the demands of each occasion for their use. If desired, the engaging end loop E of the stay 0 may be formed on the extremity ofthe wire F and the end wire D thereby dispensed with. Also, the wires F may be mutually connected by short looped wires H, ifdesired, WVhen thus constructed, the looped wires are shorter than when there are no looped wires H, which permits of the ends of the wires F being passed under the runner-wires without the liability of bending them, which is likely to occur when the looped wires are of a greater length. It is evident that when the end of the wire F is fast to the adjacent looped wire F, which is seated upon its runner, and is thereforeincapable of moving upward toward the runner to which the looped wire is being applied, the shorter the end of the looped wire is from the loop or fulcrum the shorter distance it will have to move to permit the opposite end to pass under the wire, and by using the wires H there are always atleast two joints between adjacent runners, which will permit of the stays being moved laterally upon the runners without bending them, as must necessarily occur when they are moved to any great extent with the ends of the stays engaging directly with each other.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A looped wire for fences comprising a single piece of material, each end of which is provided with an eye and the central portion is provided with an oblong or elongated coil, the portions of the ends which pass each other being removed from contact with each other whereby it may be attached to or removed from a fence wire without change, substantially as set forth.

2. In a wire fence, the combination, with a series of runners,'of a looped wire upon each of the runners, the ends of thelooped wires being each provided with an eye which is connected with the eye of the adjacent looped wire and the centralportion is provided with an oblong or elongated coil, of a greater length than the diameter of the runner, the portions of the loop on one side which pass each other being removed from each otherasufficientdistance to pass over the runner when being secured to or removed therefrom, substantially as set forth.

3. In a wire fence, the combination, with a series of runners, the exterior ones of which are provided with eyelets rigidly secured thereto, and theinterior runners are provided with looped wires, each end of each of the looped wires being provided with an eye and the central portion being provided with an oblong or elongated coil, of a greater length than the diameter of the runner, the portions of the loop on one side which pass each other being removed from each other a sufficient distance to pass over the runner when being secured to or removed therefrom, and short wires connecting the ends of the looped wires with the eyelets and with each other, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto attached my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MATHIAS F. MONELLY.

Witnesses:

JOHN G. MANAHAN, H. G. WARD.

IIO 

